Maine Moose Hunts

Hunting for your trophy moose with Spruce Mountain Lodge in 2023 will be an experience you will never forget. Some recent history: Maine’s moose herd in 2014 was estimated at 60-70,000. Nationwide, Maine ranks second only to Alaska in moose population. If you’re a winner in the Maine moose lottery, be prepared for the experience hunting of a lifetime. Every year, several moose exceed 1,000 lbs. dressed weight. Trophy racks are not uncommon.

Each year, the state of Maine issues a number of Moose permits through a lottery drawing. Application for moose permits must be made to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Applications for the 2023 Moose Permit Lottery will be accepted online: The application period is January 25 – May 15, 2023 at 11:59 pm (ET).

Hunters holding valid moose permits and their designated subpermittee may hunt moose in one of twenty-five wildlife management districts (WMD’s), which cover over 21,000 square miles. Successful bidders of the moose auction may select the hunting zone of their choice.

2023 Season Dates and Areas Open to Moose Hunting

Moose Hunting Season Dates and Permit Allocations by Wildlife Management District (WMD)

Note: At this time these are proposed season dates and permit numbers and are subject to change.

WMD	Total Permits	Permits by Season
		Bull-Only		Antlerless-Only	Any Moose
		9/25/23-9/30/23	10/9/23-10/14/23	10/23/23-10/28/23	10/28/23*	10/30/23-11/25/23
1	625	225	225	175	–	–
2	525	175	175	175	–	–
3	325	100	100	125	–	–
4***	500	200	200	100	–	–
5	375	125	125	125	–	–
6	260	100	100	60	–	–
7	125	–	125	–	–	–
8	300	–	200	100	–	–
9	125	–	125	–	–	–
10	60	30	30	–	–	–
11	50	25	25	–	–	–
12	25	–	25	–	–	–
13	15	–	15	–	–	–
14	30	–	30	–	–	–
15	25	–	–	–	25
16	15	–	–	–	15
17	10	–	10	–	–	–
18	40	20	20	–	–	–
19	60	30	30	–	–	–
27, 28**	40	20	20	–	–	–
Total	3,530	1,050	1,580	860	40

*10/28/2023 hunt is for Maine residents only.
**Hunters drawn for WMD 27 or 28 may hunt in either district.
***This does not include permit numbers for the adaptive unit hunt. Please see below for tentative adaptive unit season dates and permit numbers.

WMD	Total Permits	Adaptive Unit Permits by Season
		Antlerless-Only
		10/16/23-10/21/23	10/23/23-10/28/23	10/30/23-11/4/23
4A	550	200	150	200

We will travel to the district for which your permit is drawn. Get ready for a challenging hunt. Contact Us now for details.

Weather in Maine can change rapidly, so bring warm clothes, rain gear, flashlight, sleeping bag, choice of weapon and personal items. Moose hunters must wear at least one article of fluorescent orange clothing.

Once you have your trophy moose, we can help you arrange for the processing of the meat. We can also make arrangements for you with an excellent taxidermist (a deposit is required for this service, contact us for details). Examples of his work can be seen at our home or at Spruce Mountain Lodge. Please contact us for a brochure, references and complete details.

A Maine resident or non-resident hunting license is required as well as a valid Moose permit. – Click here for license fees.